Dependent Variable
by CaCoPhOnY Of ScReAmS
Summary: Zexion has no time for people, he's always been stuck in science. Then he meets a cheerful music student named Demyx. Can Zexion be changed, or will the dependent variable always remain constant? AU, Zemyx. Rating may change. R&R please!
1. Chapter 1

The buzzing chatter of students filled the cafeteria, groups sitting around circular tables blabbering idly away without a care in the world. A few teachers patrolled around, as per usual. Typical Monday; everyone was still waking up after the weekend, and were seemingly unable to bring themselves to stop reminiscing over what they had done over their two _glorious_ days off.

"--xion?"

"Mm?"

"Zexion!" A sharp voice hissed across the table, startling the boy out of his thoughts.

"What?" The boy in question shot back, narrowing his dark blue eye at his 'friend'. The pale blond at the other end of the table rolled his eyes, gazing seriously at Zexion with his acidic green eyes, "If you're just trying to annoy me, Vexen, I suggest you knock it off."

Vexen raised his hands up innocently, "Not at all. I just wanted to remind you that you _still_ haven't finished your science homework, and lunch ends in twenty minutes." He rasped, pointing at Zexion's navy blue binder, which laid untouched on the table.

Zexion made a small noise at the back of his throat, twisting the end of his slate-blue hair between his fingers, "It's fine, I only need to write down a few more basic things. I don't even need my textbook to write down qualitative properties of acid." He monotoned, inclining his head away from Vexen's gaze. Said boy scoffed.

"Fine, fine. Don't blame me if you just zone out again and don't even finish it. You're just a freshman, Zex. Best you don't make enemies out of your teachers right off the bat."

The slate haired teen cast his pale friend a questioning glance. What did Vexen take him for? Sure, he was only a first year student, it didn't mean that he was completely addle-brained. Then again, he supposed that Vexen wouldn't even bother with him if he was; Vexen was a senior, not to mention the top chemistry student in the entire school. The only real reason that Zexion hung around him was because their parents knew each other, and worked for the same company. Ironically enough, that company just _had_ to involve genetic engineering. So, of course, Zexion was expected to be the perfect little scientist. Just like his parents.

"I'm not out to pit people against me. I don't see why you assume that I'm skipping out on homework." Zexion frowned, grabbing his binder and standing to leave the table. He suddenly didn't feel like hanging around there anymore.

Without even waiting for Vexen to put his two cents in, he left. He kicked his chair back into the table and strode out of the cafeteria, clutching his science book to his thin chest. He really didn't see why he was having to do any of the idiotic work in that class anyway. He already knew everything they were doing; his parents had taught it all to him. Force-fed him formulas and equations since before he could walk. He could name off the entire periodic table by the time he was ten, and now that he was fifteen, it was like he was at square one again. Otherwise known as Grade 9 Academic Sciences. It really sucked that you could only take general Science until Grade 11; especially considering that he was at _least_ at that level. But noooo, his parents were much to busy in their lab to even consider speaking with the principal to get him into a higher class.

Frowning as those thoughts crossed his mind, Zexion tucked his head down until he was staring at the floor. Too bad he was still walking forward, and a quite a fest pace too. Of course, he didn't realize this until he felt himself collide into something hard.

"What the-- Oh! I'm sorry!" A voice came as another person spun around, adjusting the large instrument case that was slung over his shoulder. Hm, so that was what he had run into.

Zexion shook his head, not bothering to look up at the other person, "No, it was my fault. I wasn't looking where I was going." He said without emotion as he bent down to pick up the binder he had dropped when he ran into the other person.

An amused chuckle came from the other person, "...Maybe. But seriously though, man. You okay?"

This time Zexion did look up at the other person. The boy was taller than him by nearly six inches, but then again, most people were. He had messy dishwater-blond hair that was styled into some sort of faux-hawk. He looked to be about the same age as Zexion, though. He wore a faded yellow shirt with a not-so-happy face on it, ripped black jeans with two chains hanging off them.

His eyes were definitely his most attractive feature, though. They were an indescribable shade of blue-green that seemed to shine. The only thing that Zexion could think of to compare them to was the colour you get when you mixed Copper II Sulphate with water. They were, for lack of a better word, captivating.

"...I'm fine." Zexion replied when he realized that he had been staring. Averting his gaze, he clutched his book to his chest again.

"Great! Oh, I'm Demyx by the way! Demyx Arashi, I'm a freshman here and I play the Sitar! That's the thing in the case you ran into..." The boy chimed. His voice was bubbly and childish, even though he was the same age as Zexion.

"Zexion Shinkirou. I'm a freshman too, but I don't play anything." He returned, just to be polite, "I'm sorry I bumped into you. I should've been watching where I was going rather than the floor." He said curtly.

"Why were you staring at the floor?" Demyx asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Um.... Just thinking." He replied, feeling a slight flush cross his face. Damn, now he felt like an idiot.

"Okay. Hey, Zexion?"

"Yeah?"

"I don't think I've seen you here before. But you're obviously not new. You don't come into the caf a lot?" He asked, once again shifting the weight of his instrument case.

"No...well, I mostly hang out in the Science labs at lunch, but I come here enough. I've never seen you when I come here, either." Zexion bounced the question back at the blond boy.

"That's 'cause I'm in the Music Room. I usually hang in there during lunch. Funny, huh? The one time we stop being social recluses and we end up crashing into each other. Well, isn't tha--"

"Hey, Demyx! Come on!" Another voice called from the end on the cafeteria. Both the boy in question and Zexion looked in the direction on the voice, to see a lanky redhead waving his arms around to catch Demyx's attention.

"Alright! Jeez, Ax. I'm coming!" Demyx called back, waving an arm at the redhead. He turned back to Zexion, giggling nervously, "Sorry, Zex. Gotta go."

"Bye." Zexion replied, his eyes following the blond as he took off running across the caf, toward the other teen.

Turning his eyes back to the floor, he continued on his was out of the room, looking back up again after a few seconds; he didn't want to bump into anyone else. As he left the busy room, he looked inside, catching a glimpse of the enigmatic Demyx as he talked excitedly with the tall redhead that has called him over, and a short blond boy. Zexion chuckled, and continued down the empty hallway toward his locker. Why was he intrigued by the boy with the chemical eyes? He'd never payed much attention to people before.

He spun the combination on his lock and sung open the metal door, _'Maybe I'm just tired. I shouldn't have stayed up playing with liquid nitrogen again.'_ He scolded himself as he grabbed his science textbook and put it with his binder, _'I'm certainly not going to let myself be distracted by some boy I don't even really KNOW.'_ He thought, closing his locker and latching the lock back on it. He needed to keep up his grades. He couldn't _afford_ to lose focus. Zexion NEVER lost focus.

The warning bell buzzed through the school, accompanied by the assorted groans of the rest of the student body as they trudged to their lockers to grab their books. Zexion tightened his hold on his two books, making his way down the hall toward the Science Labs.

He never even realized he'd actually _forgotten_ his homework. But then again, Zexion never lost focus.

Right?

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**Wow! I don't even KNOW where this came from, but I think it's got some potential! I'm gonna try to update this pretty regularly, but I'll have to work around my ridiculous schedule. Hope to expect updated every week or two.**

**By the way, Dem and Zex's last names. I didn't come up with them randomly, I used my japanese vocabulary to try to find something that would fit them. I hope they work. But for those of you who don't know:**

**Arashi - Storm**

**Shinkirou - Mirage**

**Get it? 'cause they use water and illusion? No...? *crickets* Well, please review anyway! This is my first Kindom Hearts fanfic, so let me know if it's okay! Constructive criticism, please! toodles!**

**--CaCoPhOnY Of ScReAmS**


	2. Stalking? Who, me?

**Ugh. I read over th last chapter and found like...**_**five**_** freaking errors in it. I'm SO sorry. But they were all screwed up in ways that they actually spelled other words, so my spellcheck didn't catch them. Maybe I should actually read over my stories BEFORE I post them.**

**Also, I realized that I didn't put a disclaimer in the last chappie. Oops.**

**CaCoPhOnY Of ScReAmS doesn't own Kingdom Hearts, she only has the 2nd game and Re:CoM. And an Organization XIII cosplay cloak. Good times, good times...**

**She also doesn't own the band, The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, 'cause I use a song of theirs in this chappie. Face Down. It's my favourite one by them!**

**and thank you all SO MUCH to those who reviewed! Yes, I'm talking about you, ****StoryofGreen,****Ninny-na,****agent-to-the-rescue,**** And, of course, ****Ischemia,**** for the freaking awesomest review yet!**

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"Alright guys, who can tell me one property of molasses?" The science professor, Ms. Lucrecia, smiled sweetly as she held out a bottle of the liquid in question. Ugh, and Zexion thought this class couldn't get any more boring. Apparently he was wrong.

Giving the room a quick one-over, he was disgusted to see that not a _single_ student had put their hand up for the answer. Sighing in exasperation, he slowly raised his arm.

"Yes, Zexion?" The brunet lady asked, seeming overly happy that someone had bothered to put their hand up.

"Molasses is a high vescos fluid." He replied boredly, sinking back down a little farther into is chair while Ms. Lucrecia agreed with him and went on naming other substances and asking for other qualities. Malleability and other various things. Zexion groaned inwardly, resting his head on his desk. He figured that he's already put in his contribution to this infuriating _joke _of a class, the other students should be forced to answer some problems.

Of course, a lack of paying attention allowed for Zexion's mind to wander onto different subjects. Namely one little oddity he knew as Demyx Arashi. The enthusiastic blond had been on his mind ever since he set foot out of the cafeteria, but he couldn't figure out why. Perhaps the boy was simply that kind of person, he thought, the kind that just so happened to stick on your mind after you met him? He was certainly friendly, Zexion had to give him that.

_'I wonder if I will see him again...'_ He thought absently, rearranging the fringe of hair that obscured his right eye, _'Probably, I mean, we go to the same school and all. It would be improbable to think that we'd go the rest of the entire school year and not see each other. There's still next semester, even.'_ He told himself. All of it was true, of course. It was only the beginning week of January. Exams started next Friday, and after that there was still another whole semester to go. Zexion was utterly distraught at that thought, but at least he didn't have to endure another four and a half months of this pathetic excuse for Science.

Actually, he didn't have to worry about science classes for another six months, at _least_. That's the beauty of Summer Vacation. Still, there was the whole second semester to go. It shouldn't be too hard, especially considering that he had easier classes next semester: English, Art, Geography, and Phys. Ed. were all extremely simple.

Maybe he'd have Demyx in one of his classes. You never could tell until you got there.

Still extremely unamused, Zexion vaguely heard Lucrecia asking some poor student to explain the difference between a Controlled Experiment and a Correlational Study. And, of course, the poor girl had no idea whatsoever as to the answer. Zexion barely suppressed a laugh. This class was horrible. Not to mention the fact that they were doing freaking _review_ from the beginning of the semester, and no one could answer a simple question like that. He, however, was certainly not in the mood to offer the answer.

Suddenly the classroom was driving him insane. He was surrounded by thing that he'd know practically all his life. Dead animals preserved in jars of formaldehyde, graduated cylinders, assorted chemicals, et cetera, et cetera. And yet he found his thoughts being redirected AGAIN to Demyx. Was the boy really having that much of an effect on him?

He let his eyes scan the shelves in hope of finding something to steal his attention back, but everything just seemed to remind him of the boy. That's it. He was getting out of here.

"Ms. Lucrecia?" He asked quietly as he raised his hand.

"May I go to the washroom?"

"Of course, dear. The hall pass is on my desk."

Zexion stood, grabbing the hall pass off of the desk and walking out the door. The hallway was virtually empty, save for the odd Junior or Senior enjoying a spare period right after lunch. But most of all, it was quiet. At least in the Science hall. No one really went down there unless they were on their was to class anyway.

His shoes made dull '_tmp'_ sounds as he strode down the hall, the small noises seeming abnormally loud in account for the lack of chatter in the halls. He held the hall pass lightly in his hand, moving his fingers over the edges of it in boredom. He supposed he had about 10 minutes until the teacher would wonder where he went. Wandering around seemed like the best option at the moment; it was nearing the end of class, so there wasn't any teachers or upperclassmen prowling around looking for deserters.

Taking a left at the next hallway he came to, Zexion realized that he was now in a part of the school he had never bothered to venture into. It was literally empty, so either all of the students actually _went_ to class, or they just didn't bother to stick around in this part of the school. He crept up to the window of the nearest room, hoping for a look inside. Dramatic Arts.

Oh, so that explained the interesting graffiti adorning the doors further down. Those must have been the Visual Arts classes, because of course, their school had opted to put all of the artistic courses in the same hallway. It prevented students from getting _too_ confused trying to find their classes.

"Well, then. That's obviously why I haven't been down here," Zexion muttered to himself, "I don't have any arts until next semester... well, I guess it can't hurt to look around, I've got to find my art room for next term, either way."

Room 36 was his assigned Visual Arts classroom, but it was currently occupied by Senior student, who were in the middle of a slide test, so it was nearly impossible to see into the blackened room. Slightly put-off that he didn't get to look inside, Zexion turned on his heel to head back down the hallway.

An upbeat tune from a bass drum echoed through the still air, immediately accompanied by bass and electric guitars. The driving rhythm causing Zexion to stop in his tracks, turning his head to locate the source of the music. The last room on the right.

creeping silently up to the small window, he was just about to crane his neck to peer in, when lyrics were added to the song.

_Hey girl, you know you drive me crazy_

_One look puts the rhythm in my hand_

_Still, I'll never understand why you hang around_

_I see what's going down,_

Zexion froze. Oh HELL no! It couldn't be, did the Fates have some sort of unholy grudge against him or something like that, because that's certainly what Zexion was beginning to think. And of _course_ it just so happened to be the unmistakable voice of Demyx Arashi that accosted his ears at that moment. Though, it wasn't _bad_ singing, but Zexion had been trying to get the mullet-headed blond off of his mind for an hour now, and this was just the icing on the proverbial cake.

_Cover up with makeup in the mirror_

_Tell yourself it's never gonna happen again_

_You cry, alone, and then he swears he loves you_

_Do you feel like a man, when you push her around?_

_Do you feel better now, as she falls to the ground?_

_Well I'll tell you my friend, one day this world's gonna end_

_As your lies crumble down, a new life she has found_

Swallowing hard, Zexion inched himself up onto his tiptoes to peek into the room, (not short; vertically challenged, dammit!) and was greeted to the wonderful sight of Demyx, quickly picking out notes on his Sitar--apparently it _hadn't _been an electric guitar Zexion had thought he'd heard-- while singing whole-heartedly into a stand mic. The lanky redhead Zexion had seen him talking too was beating a rhythm on a large drum set, stepping on the pedal with enough vigor to rupture the canvas. Along with them was the blondie on a large checkered bass guitar. Now that he looked, Zexion noticed that the kid was wearing a jacket on it with a checkered stripe, and checkered converse. Wow, obsessed much?

_A pebble in the water makes a ripple effect_

_Every action in this world will bear a consequence_

_If you wade around forever you will surely drown_

_I see what's going down_

_I see the way you go and say you're right again_

_Say you're right again;_

_Heed my lecture_

_Do you feel like a man, when you push her around?_

_Do you feel better now, as she falls to the ground?_

_Well I'll tell you my friend, one day this world's gonna end_

_As your lies crumble down, a new life she had found_

_'Such a pretty voice...'_ Zexion thought absently, watching the performance. The entire rest of the music class was seated at the other end of the room, dead silent as they watched their fellow classmates play.

_Face down in the dirt, she said, "This doesn't hurt,"_

_She said, "I've finally had enough,"_

_Face down in the dirt, she said, "This doesn't hurt,"_

_She said, "I've finally had enough," _

Zexion watched as Demyx stepped away from the silver microphone, making space for the blond boy to approach the mic, sharing the appliance with the sitar player. _'Whoa, wait. Is that guy wearing eyeliner? Oh, hell, he's not gonna--'_

_One day, she will, tell you, that she's had ENOUGH!_

_It's coming 'round again_

His eyes widened as the two boys sung. Well, Demyx sung. The blondie freaking _screamed._ That's right, as in head banging, blow out your eardrums and give your parents aneurysms, kind of screaming. The class gave a wild cheer as the short boy stepped back again, returning his full attention to his bass. The only thing going through Zexion's mind was, _'Holy SHIT, the shorty can scream. How many freshmen can actually scream?'_

_Do you feel like a man, when you push her around?_

_Do you feel better now, as she falls to the ground?_

_Well I'll tell you my friend, one day this world's gonna end_

_As your lies crumble down, a new life she had found_

_Face down in the dirt, she said, "This doesn't hurt"_

_She said, "I've finally had enough"_

A few final strokes on the instruments, and the song finished. The entire room burst in applause, and the trio of students took a bow. Zexion saw Demyx scratching the back of his head sheepishly. Zexion himself, however, remained silent, a small smile finding its way onto his face. Demyx wasn't kidding when he said he spent most of his time in the Music Room; it must've taken a long time to perfect that piece, especially the screaming (yes, he's still hung up over the fact that a fifteen-year-old can _scream_. decently, no less!)

Zexion chuckled lightly as the redhead that was on the drums threw the sticks across the room, probably at some kid who made a snarky comment. Damn, he was even skinnier up close, was he anorexic or something? He watched as Mr. Anorexia, as he dubbed him, raced around the drums to tackle-glomp the blond, who shrugged the redhead off and smacked him firmly on the head. Ouch; rejected. Through the door, Zexion faintly heard what sounded like, 'Aww, but Roxy! I _love_ you!', but he disregarded this as a misinterpretation of words. After all, what kind of parent maned their son Roxy?

Settling back onto the soles of his feet, Zexion turned and began his trek back to science class. He'd been gone long enough, and he was starting to feel like a bit of a creep, standing outside of the window and watching Demyx.

He'd rather not put himself in the 'creepy' category just yet.

-xo-xo-xo-xo-xo-xo-xo-xo-xo-xo-xo-xo-

**Okay, I'll admit, I was nearly HATING this chapter by the time I was halfway through it, but I think it got better toward the end. I really wanted to incorporate a song into it, so I figured I could get away with having Demyx performing it in class. And of course, I just HAD to put Axel and Roxas in there too. And in case you didn't realize who I was alluding to with them, you are sad indeed.**

**But I found the prospect of a scream-singing Roxas too good to pass up.**

**CaCoPhOnY Of ScReAmS (...stole your stapler!) :P**


	3. Reactions and Revelations

**Ugh, I'm sorry. This's a bit behind schedule. It actually **_**would've**_** been out a LOT earlier, if not for that glitch that wouldn't let me log in.... AAAARRRGGGGHHHH! DAMN THAT GLITCH!!!! (I'm sure you all feel my pain)**

**Disclaimer: Oh yessss! I totally own all of Kingdom Hearts! Let's even put in a BONUS! I can own Loveless and Sukisyo and Junjou Romantica too! ...Oh! I'm sorry, did I accidentally drip my sarcasm on you? Here, let me wipe it off....**

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Saturday. Finally, the one day Zexion was free of classes and schoolwork and waking up at the ass-crack of dawn every morning. Of course, this just opened the door for housework, and of course, being utterly neglected by his parents. Sure, it wasn't their fault, but lets face it, they freaking _chose_ to work on weekends, even though they only get payed for their lab shifts from Monday to Friday. Who the hell does that to their only child? Why, it's Mr. and Mrs. Shinkirou, of course. Hell, would it literally kill them to spend time with their son? Especially in the 'life-changing' phase of starting High School. Actually no, that wouldn't help in the least, Zexion never had been very close to his parents, so it would be awkward. It was best if they just kept to their important work.

Sighing dejectedly as he slid a black turtleneck over his head, Zexion began to fumble through his large room in search of something. Not just anything, mind you, but _something_. And the something in question, whatever it may turn out to be, would hopefully get Zexion's head out of where it had been for the last several days. Demyx. Of course, it had been nearly an entire _week_ since Zexion had seen the enigmatic blond. Well guess what? He seemed to be the only thing Zexion could even remotely focus on ever since Monday.

And, of course, by this point Zexion was literally _thisclose_ to ripping out every single hair in his pretty little scalp.

Shoving aside a fairly large stack of books, Zexion found something that caught his eye: a tiny, yet thick, notebook. It was worn down, and the leafy pages were slightly browning around the edges, but it was unused and unmarred. He supposed it would suit his need well enough for the time being.

Settling back onto the edge of his bed, he fiddled with the bottom of his black jeans for a moment, flipping open the journal with his other hand. Perhaps writing would get his mind off of his little 'fixation', as he had come to know it as. Gripping a black pen, he started writing.

_Okay. My name is Zexion Shinkirou, and this is my journal._

His eye twitched as he read over the words. Why the hell had he written _that_? It was OBVIOUSLY his journal, otherwise he wouldn't be writing in it in the first place. Secondly, he already knew who he was. Ugh, this was just getting _better _and _better._

_My parents are both scientists, and they're never home, so I basically live alone, even though I'm only 15. I pretty much only see them on national holidays, or those odd days where one of them is deathly ill for whatever reason. Lord knows they won't stay here unless they're practically paralyzed from sickness. They leave for work before I awaken, and they never some home until I'm asleep. Sometimes I wonder if they ever return home at all._

_I am basically assimilated into the realm of science, due to my aforementioned parental figures. Luckily enough, I get elective and compulsive classes in school, otherwise I would be nearly dead from lack of basic skills. I'm very good at English, hence I read a lot. Ugh... why am I even writing this down, I already know what I'm doing. Okay, that's it. This is going to become my official rant book._

_First off, I met a boy during my Lunch period on Monday. His name was Demyx Arashi. I don't even know why I still remember his name; I've only spoken to him once. Lately though, I've been having my thoughts drawn to him almost nonstop. It's quite frustrating. I don't know why this is happening. I also saw him later that same day, in his Music Class. I was wandering the halls alone when I heard music playing through the halls. I looked through the window and BAM, there's Demyx performing a song along with two other students I saw him with earlier. I'm guessing it was his final culminating project or some other form of final evaluation before his Exam. But I digress. He's been running through my brain constantly, after just ONE encounter. I'd hate to see what'd become of me, should I run into him again._

_Oh hell, that was such irony without me even realizing it. Yes, I met Demyx by literally running _into_ him. It was the most embarrassing thing that has befell me this year. Well, except maybe for that one time I found that thong in Vexen's room, but THAT is not what I'm writing about right now! I swear to god, if I can't find a way to get the boy out of my head, I'm going to go completely ballistic!_

_Demyx has blond hair, only it's like really, _really_ dirty blond so it's almost a sandy-brown colour. And these big, gorgeous aqua-cyan eyes that draw you in the moment you look at them. Does that make any sense? Or do I just sound like lovestruck girl? Oh hell, I DO sound like a girl when I write about Demyx. That's it, I'm officially insane. Pretty soon I'm gonna end up wearing those really tight pants and mascara and have wet dreams about him every ni--whoa. I am NOT going there. And I already wear tight pants, so I'm pretty much already on the road to destruction. _

Zexion stared in disbelief at his own words, the odd feeling sinking into his skin. He didn't have a... a _crush_ on Demyx, did he? Foremost, Demyx was a_ boy_, and secondly, he's only ever spoken to him once! Yet here he was, writing down his emotions in a little dairy like some obsessive schoolgirl. Although, he was seriously doubting that he would ever, EVER wear mascara. The day that Zexion Shinkirou consents to anything other than a bit of eyeliner is the day the Killer Lemons take over the world. Sighing, he decided that he'd rather not disgrace himself further, and set down the pen and notebook. It did, however, feel nice to actually begin to get some of his frustrations out on the paper. Kind of like self-therapy.

Quickly, Zexion scribbled the title '_Lexicon_' onto the front of the journal. It would serve as a nice cover-up should one of his parents ever feel the sudden urge to actually find out what their son had in his room. Plus, he kinda thought it was a cool name. That was a bonus.

The bedsprings squeaked in protest as he jumped to his feet, the hardwood flooring feeling cold underneath his bare feet. Silently, Zexion exited his room, being sure he closed the door before continuing down the carpeted hall.

He supposed that his house was kinda drab. It didn't really matter though, seeing as there was only ever anyone living in it on the weekends. the house itself was huge. Probably appropriate for a family of seven, instead of three. The walls were painted a blue-gray that gave the entire building a depressing atmosphere. Cream coloured carpet covered the upstairs hallways and the stairs, while all of the floor on the first level was cedar hardwood, save for the tile kitchen. The downstairs living room had two black leather couches, a recliner and a chair, as well as a coffee table. Plus a big, fancy 50" flat screen TV. The kitchen was huge, complete with a large island in the center.

The only thing missing was the actual family. In the entire house, there was only one family picture hanging on the wall, directly inside the door. It was of Zexion, and his mother and father. Nine yeas had passed since it was taken. The seven-year-old Zexion was smiling brightly from his perch atop his father's shoulders, and he had a firm grip on his mother's hand. Nothing like that happened anymore.

Making his way into the kitchen, he grabbed a red apple out of the basket on the island, before settling on the living room couch to actually eat it. His slate hair got caught in his mouth as he ate, and he spit it out in disgust. He really should get his bangs cut; they reached down past his collarbone, while the rest of his hair was cut in toward his neck. That right there was half the reason everyone thought he was emo. He wasn't denying that he hadn't cut himself in the past, no. But he didn't sit in his room at night carving poetry into his wrists with a razor blade, either. He'd only done it a couple of times, when his parents worked through something really important, like his birthday. It was a simple way of coping, but he wasn't drawn into it.

"Blegh. Shampoo and apple, now I know why that never caught on as a flavour." He said sarcastically, and stuck his tongue out, before tucking his ridiculous bangs behind his ear.

He finished his apple in silence, threw the core into the garbage, before laying down again. It wasn't like he had anything better to do, anyway. He wasn't the type for sports, being as horribly skinny and petite as he was, and television seemed like a boring option at the moment. He really didn't feel like watching cartoons all morning. He didn't even have the heart to set up a simple experiment for himself. Bored, he returned into his previous mindset: thinking about a certain sitarist.

"I...don't have a crush on him, do I?" Zexion wondered aloud, knowing full well that there was no one in the house to hear him, "I couldn't possible have become infatuated with... with another _boy._ It's completely improbable! The odds of me becoming homosexual are certainly higher than they would have been perhaps 50 years ago, but regardless!" He tried to argue with himself, but found it oddly difficult. He really didn't _care_ of he wasn't straight. It was just kind of... different. His mind basically kicked back and said, _'Yep, you're gay. It's not such a big deal. It's not like anything's changed about you at all. Maybe you're even bi. Who knows? Either way, it doesn't matter if you accept it or not.'_

Well, Zexion did have to admit that he wasn't very bothered by the thought of being attracted to the same gender, what he _did_ have a problem with was the idea of other people finding out he was attracted to the same gender. It was nothing short of terrifying. He could almost see it now: years of being greeted with a snarky, "Hey, fag." by everyone at school, having the word "Gay" sharpied onto his locker. It was a nightmare waiting to happen. And if Demyx found out, oh _god_, if _Demyx _found out. His life would be over. Gone. Vamoose.

"That settles it then," He told himself firmly, "I'm 'in the closet', or so to speak. No one needs to know, so no one _will _know. There. Gay problem solved." He rolled over so he was facing the back of the couch, curling his knees up to his chest protectively.

"...But that if someone _does_ find out?" He asked no one in particular, "What if--what if my parents find out? Will they disown me?...Unlikely, they don't see me enough as it is. Maybe I can still act like I like girls... wait, I never really _was_ attracted to them. At least, I never found one that caught my eye. Perhaps I'm just sexually retarded." He sighed, frowning as his hair came loose and fell over his eye again.

Sexually retarded. The wonderful word that his school described for those select few who never noticed the effects of puberty on the opposite gender until much later, the ones who never actually _hit _puberty until 18, the ones who didn't date until 16, didn't lose their virginity until their twenties... the list goes on. In other words, Zexion. The shy and timid mousy types who buried their insecurities behind books and never get their first kiss until they were seventeen.

Groaning, he buried his face in his hands. Why the hell did he have to be such a social misfit? He had virtually NO friends, he sat at the back of the classrooms, he spoke quietly, and never, _ever_, (excluding the day he met Demyx) forgot his homework. And now he just had an epiphany as to the fact that he could very well be _gay?_ Wow, did he do something in a past life to piss off some higher being, or does he just have shit luck?

So, still on the verge of ripping his hair out due to frustration, Zexion pushed himself off of the couch, intent on finding something else to do with his time.

"Maybe an experiment...?" He wondered, "Well, I suppose we _do _always have preserved animals for dissection..." He mumbled, taking a left turn down the nearest hallway and arriving at a steel door. His own personal laboratory, courtesy of his parents. He'd always had the lab to go to whenever the urge struck; it was full of all the little petri dishes and graduated cylinders he could want, and his Bunsen burner was in great working condition. Of course, with High School rearing its ugly head, he rarely ever got down there to do more than observing chemical reactions. Nothing that took overly long like dissection or any huge experimentations.

Pushing the door open, he found his lad just the way he had left it; spotless. Zexion never was one to leave a mess behind, regardless of what he was doing. The tiled floor was white and shiny, and the black counter tops that covered the tables were cleaned to perfection. Hell, there wasn't even a smudge on any of his tools. His heels squeaked on the floor as he made his way over to a small cupboard, sliding the protective glass out of the way, and reached in. When he withdrew his hand, he was holding a small container, inside which was a small fish specimen, submerged in formaldehyde. Perfect.

He spent the next several minutes setting up the area for the dissection. Setting out the scalpels, getting the tray ready and all that. Using a tiny barrett to hold his hair out of his face (damn you safety regulations!), Zexion slid a pair of latex gloves over his hands, and reached out to grab a scalpel. Holding it gingerly in his hand, wedged between his thumb and forefinger.

Slowly, he brought his hand down to the dead fish lying on the tray, intent on making an incision along the corpse's abdomen.

He never had time to finish, though, as his concentration was broken by the sound of Beethoven's ninth playing through the silent laboratory. His cell phone. Groaning slightly in frustration and annoyance, Zexion set the scalpel down on the table, snapping the gloves off his hands and reached into his pocket, grabbing his black Nokia and raising it to his ear.

"...Hello?" He asked, hoping that the tone of his voice wasn't too scary.

"Zexion." A calm, deep voice replied on the other end.

Zexion sighed, "Hello Lexaeus. What's going on?"

The tall and imposing boy was another person that could be added onto the list of Zexion's so-called friends. He was in his second year at the University of Hollow Bastion, taking some class on soil or rocks or something like that. Zexion didn't know what exactly, and to be truthful, he didn't particularly care. Originally, Lexaeus had been the one his parents had gotten to watch him when they were on long shifts at the lab, but the stoic man was now more of a companion than a supervisor.

"Your mother called me. Said she wanted to tell you something before your exams," Lexaeus began, and there was a shifting noise in the background, like he was looking through a stack of papers, "Ah, here it is. She wants you to spend at least two hours of studying, and she also wants you to make sure that you get your inhaler prescription refilled before you begin your Physical Education course next semester."

Zexion sighed. Leave it to his mother to give Lexaeus a message to give to him rather than just calling Zexion herself, "Thank you, Lexaeus. If I see her, I'll let her know you told me."

"Stay well."

"You too."

The phone snapped shut with a small click, and Zexion shoved it back into his pocket. His mother actually expected him to spend all that time reviewing the drivel that they taught him that fist semester? What rubbish. Although he did have to give her props for reminding that his prescription needed to be refilled, especially with Gym class approaching. He did NOT need his athsma making a living hell out of his entire second semester.

Maybe he's get Demyx in his Gym class?

Zexion groaned, bringing his hand up to smack his face. There he goes again! Why couldn't he get off of that subject for _ten minutes_, even!? Flustered and annoyed, Zexion replaced the gloves on his hands, and grabbed a hold of the sharp scalpel, his hand shaking slightly as he brought it toward his specimen.

But, of course, his mind just couldn't seem to focus anymore. Any of the concentration he'd had before had been broken as thoughts of the mullet-haired boy from school flooded his thoughts, making it practically impossible for Zexion to focus on the knife in his hand. His brain was too busy being overrun with random thoughts.

_'Am I going to talk to him agai--' 'I wonder what that song he was playing was--' 'Who were those two in his music class--' 'Will I have Demyx in any of my new classes?' 'Demyx has such a nice singing voice--' 'Demyx's eyes look almost unreal. Are they contacts?' 'Demyx...' 'Demyx--'_

He never even noticed the sharpened blade of the scalpel slipping from his hand.

-xo-xo-xo-xo-xo-xo-xo-xo-xo-xo-xo-

**Muahaha! Cliff-hanger thingy! If you hate me now, you'll probably hate me even more in the next chapter! Speaking of the next one, I'm not sure when I'll be able to get it up. This one was already behind schedule, and I'm getting buried alive under my homework from school. This was the longest chapter, anyway, over 3000 words! WOOT!**

**...Did I spell, 'Athsma' right? 'cause according to my spellcheck, it's not a real word. Then agan, neither is an 'axe', so whatever.**

**Oh! And also, I myself am only a freshman this year, so if I write something concerning science that makes absolutely NO sense, feel free to smack me in the head for it. I looked back at the previous chapters, and saw that I'd written, "Copper II Sulphate"... it's supposed to be "Copper (II) Sulfate". Oops, ehehehe.**

**Read and review, baby! *has basket full of yummy sweets* You'll get some of these!**

**--CaCoPhOnY Of ScReAmS (..is dying of a nosebleed from reading too much gorgeous Akuroku and Zemyx)**


	4. Solutionsor is it?

_He never even noticed the sharpened blade of the scalpel slipping from his hand._

The plastic handle of the knife fell through his fingers, as his mind was currently focused elsewhere. Of course, Zexion was snapped back into reality when the familiar feeling left his hand, snapping his head down quickly to see what had happened, though he already had a hunch.

The knife fell, the heavier bladed end slicing the air first. Zexion barely had time to respond before the scalpel snagged the fabric on his jeans, cutting through the material and slipping seamlessly through the smooth flesh on his ankle. He hissed and bit his bottom lip, waiting for the pain that would follow. It did, but slowly. Nothing more than a tiny bite followed by a light, disbelieving sensation. His heart skipped a beat, feeling the slight adrenalin rush through him. Through the slit in his jeans he could see the blood beading along the thin, deep cut, eventually breaking and rolling down the rest of his leg before seeping into the fabric of his sock.

Zexion blinked once. Twice. Three times before he fully registered what had happened. Shaking his head to clear the slight buzz in his ears, he carefully arranged himself sitting on the floor, wrapping his left hand around his cut ankle to staunch the bleeding. The cut was thin, but very deep, and long, spanning a good three inches before the blade had left his flesh.

Reaching forward, he grabbed the scalpel, which had slid away from him, holding it up to examine it before his careful eye. It was perfectly clean. Not even a single drop of crimson marring its sleek, metallic shine. His ankle don't hurt anymore, in fact it felt...dare he say, good. Something about the sick satisfaction of having a bit of power over the hurt, now that he held the scalpel in his hand. Spinning the handle around between his fingers, he brought the blade back to the skin on his ankle, slowly and deliberately this time. His breath caught as the razor edge bit through his skin, leaving little room for pain to be felt through the sheer rush he felt. The blade was drawn across his pale ankle for an inch, before sliding away as Zexion paused to admire the red bubbles forming through the tear in his skin.

"Beautiful..." He murmured to himself, poking one of the droplets. It broke, sending a tiny river of red down his ankle. He stopped completely. Wait. What had he just been doing? Self-mutilation...it was something he had never foreseen in his life. But, he...he_ liked_ it. It was empowering and, above all. It was a release of all thoughts. He didn't worry about anything while he was under that wonderful thrall. Not school, not his parents, not even...Demyx.

Perhaps he had found his solution after all.

Resting his weight on his unmarred left leg, he hoisted himself back up again, still gripping his right ankle in one hand. He set the scalpel on the counter, before cleaning the tiny line of red that adorned its rim. Setting the sharp knife back inside its case, he turned back around, to his shelf of assorted chemicals and whatnot. Surely there was something there he could use. Hydrochloric acid...no, wolframite...no, glycerol...no. Ah! Hydrogen Peroxide, perfect.

Grabbing the brown bottle off the shelf, Zexion quickly unscrewed the lid, wetting the end of a paper towel with the disinfectant and pressing it to the dual marks on his leg. Ow. It stung like it had a personal grudge against Zexion.

"Son of a..." He hissed through gritted teeth as he wiped the fizzing liquid away from the cuts, holding a dry end of the towel to them to stop the still persisting blood flow. Reaching his hand over he grabbed a small first-aid pack from its place against the wall. He was actually thankful for the rule of having the kit in the lab this time.

After he finished wrapping the wounds, he set his right foot back on the ground. It tingled a little bit, but other than that, it was perfectly fine. Nothing that anyone would notice any time soon. Perhaps it truly was for the better that his parents were rarely home, if they were around to witness this...Zexion would rather not think about it.

Casting a disinterested glance at the untouched fish lying on the counter, he sighed; he wasn't going to get around to finishing that little endeavor right now. He quickly slid a latex glove over his hand and picked the dead animal up by the tail, dropping it back in its jar of formaldehyde. He threw the glove in the garbage bin, and cleaned up the few tiny spots of blood on the linoleum floor, before exiting the lab.

He took the scalpel with him.

-xo-xo-xo-xo-xo-xo-xo-xo-xo-xo-xo-xo-xo-xo-

Zexion walked the halls in silence that Monday, his math textbook tucked securely under his left arm. Classed hadn't started yet, so the entire student population was out and about, wandering the halls in their little groups and cliques. He saw a few people he vaguely knew; Tidus, Wakka, Rikku and Yuna were crowded around the corner, the red-haired boy was most likely bragging about how well he and the blond had done at the last school Blitzball game. Sora, Kairi, Naminé, and Riku stood by the double-doors. Coincidentally, Zexion's locker just so happened to be right by where the latter group was hanging out.

"Hi Zexion!" Sora greeted as he drew closer to his locker. The brunet was always energetic and cheerful. Not really Zexion's style, but he was friendly, so Zexion tended to speak to him and his friends. Kairi was, in his opinion, a far bit too full of herself, but she had a good head on her shoulders. Riku was the grade-A student, athlete, and all around pretty boy. He was okay, but maybe he was just a little _too_ perfect. It can happen sometimes. The last one, Naminé, was quiet and kind. She had a good head on her shoulders; smart. All in all, they were a well rounded group of friends.

"Hello." Zexion replied, spinning the combination to his lock and opening the metal door, grabbing a sheet of graph paper he had forgotten when he first took out his books.

"What, that's all I get?" The brunet pouted, leaning against the locker next to Zexion, grinning like a fool, "You should talk to us more often."

"Maybe." Was his reply, "I suppose you have something interesting to talk about?"

Sora thought hard, screwing up his face, "Umm....Oh! How about the exams on Friday! I am _so_ screwed for my French exam, but I'm gonna get my brother to write me a whole bunch of study notes. I'm sitting at 72% right now, so I'll pass even if I tank it."

"I'm well prepared for all of my exams. My current average is 88.9%, and unfortunately, I don't have any sibling to study with." Zexion said, clasping his lock together again. Sora gave him a disbelieving look. "What? I have more time than most to do schoolwork. What about you, Sora? I didn't know you had a brother."

"Oh, he's got a twin, _and_ an older brother, Don'cha Sora?" Riku cut in, striding over to stand beside Sora. Zexion glanced once at the silveret and nodded in acknowledgment. Riku returned it.

"Well _yeah!_ But Cloud doesn't even go to High School anymore, remember? Him and Leon graduated last year and went off to Hollow Bastion for University." Sora exclaimed, waving his hands over his head for emphasis.

Zexion looked over Sora's shoulder to see what Kairi and Naminé were doing, but they seemed to be wrapped up in a conversation of their own. At least he didn't have to put up with Kairi's annoying voice...

"And I'm guessing that your twin is above average at French?" Zexion inquired, trying to remember if he had ever seen Sora's twin before.

"Pfft! Yeah, it's crazy. But he's definitely not someone you'd think of to be good at school. You know Roxas, right?" Sora asked, "Blond hair, blue eyes, my height? Wears eyeliner and skinny jeans? I'm sure you've seen him 'round"

Zexion's head snapped to look at the brunet. Was he talking about the same blond he'd seen in Demyx's music class?

"Does he hang around a tall redhead and a mulleted blond?" He asked, trying to see if his hunch was correct.

"Hm? Oh yeah! Axel and Demyx. That's Roxy all right, you seen him? The three of them have sort of a band going on. They're really good!"

"Sora, you'd _never_ say anything bad about your brother--" Riku butted in.

"Not true! I've heard them! C'mon Riku, you know that they've been attached at the hips since they were eight. Well, Roxas and Demyx...Axel was ten. I can't believe he failed Freshman year twice!"

"And _you_ know that he did that on purpose so he could go through with Demyx and Roxas. He's passing with all 90's this year."

As Sora and Riku continued their debate over Sora's twin and his friends, Zexion's mind was elsewhere. So now he knew the other two Demyx was friends with. Roxas and Axel. Maybe he could find Demyx today and talk to him...no. He wouldn't go into that again. If Demyx found out that Zexion _liked_ him, it wouldn't turn out well. It just _wouldn't_. But the topic was on his mind now, nagging at him and eating away at his peace of mind. He needed to get his head out of it.

He roughly scraped the side of his left shoe against his ankle, causing the blood that had scabbed to the bandage to rip off painfully, and the wetness against his skin told his that the newer cuts had started bleeding again. The ones from Saturday had already lessened to little pink ridges in his skin. There were three from last night that hadn't stopped bleeding when he'd bandaged them.

"Are you okay, Zexion?" Sora asked suddenly, tilting his head to look into the slate-haired teens eyes. Zexion blinked in surprise. He must have made some noise when the scabbed tissue ripped off.

"Never better." He replied curtly, tucking his books under his arm again and heading off down the opposite hall, while Sora and Riku stared at him.

-xo-xo-xo-xo-xo-xo-xo-xo-xo-

Math class flew by faster than the 75 minute block normally does, especially with all of the annoying non-linear equation questions they were doing. Yes, he knew how to graph a line of best fit and calculate its slope. Yes, he knew the difference between acceleration, deceleration, and exponential growth. So _why_ did they have to spend s much time on the subject?

Now it was on to French. Not exactly Zexion's piece of pie, but his school required at least one alternate language credit in order to graduate. It's not like it was extremely difficult, either. They were working on _objet indirect et pronoms_, which was a fairly simple concept, once you got the hang of it. You replace the noun in question with _le, la, _or _les_, and place it in between the _sujet_ and the _verbe_. Like, instead of saying, "_J'aime la pizza"_, it's be, "_Je l'aime"_.

And, just for basic knowledge, that term meant, "I like pizza."

The class was boring also. That, and annoying, because some annoying brunet girl named Selphie was sitting behind him, and kicking her legs out, which of course kept hitting his ankle. Life does suck.

So, after an hour and a quarter of learning his, "_Je t'aime, J'y vais, et J'en mange_" Zexion was finally set free to head out to lunch. Which, or course for him, meant the science rooms. He was in slightly higher spirits than usual, namely because he hadn't had any Demyx-related distractions since that morning. Hopefully his stubborn luck would hold out.

Alas, fate is a fickle woman.

As he shut his French notebooks in his locker, he turned around with the intent of heading to the science labs. Instead, he was met with the sight of a cheerful Sora dragging an uncomfortably familiar blond boy behind him. Said blond was indeed wearing eyeliner, skinnies, and of course, black and white checkers. Sora was up in Zexion's face before the teen knew what to do, and shoved the other boy out in front of him like a fabulous prize.

"Zexion, this is my twin brother, Roxas Strife!"

**-xo-xo-xo-xo-xo-xo-xo-xo-xo-xo-xo-xo-**

**Okay, I know this was a pretty short chapter, and half of you are probably pissed off at me because if what I made Zexion do, and want to kill me. But hell, it's all in the storyline. That, and I wrote all this in two night's time. I've had NO TIME to work on this lately. AND, I'm leaving Friday to go on vacation for March Break, an wanted to post something before I go. this chapter still had over 2000 words though, so there.**

**Yeah. So Zexy meets Roxy. What will happen next. Honestly though, I don't even know what I'm gonna do next, so ideas would be nice~ I prolly won't get them till after the break though! OH YES and I'm prolly gonna put a side pairing of Akuroku in here too, kay?**

**And yeah....about Zexion's cutting. I've had personal issues involving this, but after a few months with a therapist, it's all good! (sweatdrops) But I tried to write it pretty realistically. **

**Okay! CaCoPhOnY Of ScReAmS out!**


	5. We meet Roxas!

**Heyyy.....guess what? I came down with the flu, so I decided to finish writing this chapter.**

**But first off, I'd like to apologize for how ridiculously long it took me to finish this chapter; I updated right before March Break and didn't update until the beginning of May...that's like a month and a half of nothing. I'M SO SORRY!!!**

**And thanks SO MUCH to Kausa, who gave me the motivation to get my lazy ass in gear and get this typed up. You're awesome!**

**So....yeah. I definitely don't own Kingdom Hearts. And I apologize profusely for any spelling or grammar errors!**

**-xo-xo-xo-xo-xo-xo-xo-xo-**

"Zexion, this is my twin brother, Roxas Strife!"

_Oh, well...this is convenient..._

The agitated blond finally managed to wriggle out of Sora's grasp, standing off to the side a little with his hands shoved in his pockets. Something told Zexion that the boy had _not_ come along of his own volition, or rather, was dragged mercilessly across the school.

"Uh, hi?" Roxas raised an eyebrow, looking at Zexion oddly. Well excuse him, but it wasn't Zexion's fault Sora had gotten his cluches on him.

"Pleasure to meet you." Zexion replied, offering his hand out to shake. After yet another strange glance, the blond accepted the gesture, "I assume that Sora brought you over to meet me?"

"Pshhh, yeah. Came up to me right at the bell and was all like, 'Roxas, c'mon, let's go!'... I was thinking he'd probably found another butterfly on the ceiling or something equally stupid." He rolled his cerulean eyes.

"Hm. Your brother does seem the type." Zexion agreed.

"Hey! Don't gang up on me!" Sora objected, pouting like a petulant child. He fiddled with his crown necklace for a few seconds, "Besides, you seemed to recognize Roxy from what I told you, so I thought you'd like ta meet him..."

"It's okay Sora, I'm sure you had good intentions." Zexion assured the brunet. Then he turned back to Roxas, "I apologize. Sora was talking about you earlier, and I recognized you as one of the two that was waiting for Demyx in the cafetorium last week." He flicked his wrist lazily, as if it was just a vague memory. Heh. He wished.

Roxas' eyes lit up, "Oh, yeah! That's where you're from! The short one who ran into Dem last Monday, eh? Yeah, I saw you from across the caf; silvery-blue hair kinda stands out, y'know?" He grinned.

Zexion quirked a brow skeptically, "Well, I hate to point out that _you_ are shorted than _me_--which is a feat, I'll admit, _and,_ I could see you and your friend from across the room as well. Obsessions with checker-patterns and flaming red hair tend to stand out as well." He retorted, resting his right hand on his hip.

The blond laughed, "Ouch, low blow, man. And managing to throw in a taunt at Axel as well... I like you Zexion, you don't seem like someone who'd hand around _Sora_, though..." He said his brother's name with an exasperated tone as he glanced over at the little ball of energy.

Smirking, Zexion continued the chain taunt, "Oh trust me, I'm normally not. However, It seems that he has a tendency to attach on to people. He's rather like an unstable atom in that aspect."

"You're ganging up on me AGAIN!!!" Sora whined, whacking his brother on the back of the head for good measure. Roxas protested, but stopped after he realized that Sora wouldn't really listen to anything he would say. Siblings, siblings....

"Only joking," Zexion assured Sora, grinning shyly. It wasn't really often that he had a normal conversation with anyone his own age. It was surprisingly... enjoyable.

"Oh I'm sure." Sora groaned, grinning all the while. The kid had an absolute inability to get mad at someone; he was simply too forgiving. He sidestepped slightly so he could lean on the closest locker (blue, it was painted blue, Zexion noted randomly). His cerulean eyes gleamed with childish energy, "Ah well, at least you two get along nicely. I was worried earlier that Roxas would be an ass to you."

"Gee, It's great to know you think so highly of me..." The younger Strife twin said sarcastically, rolling his eyes, "And I'm only an ass to people I don't like."

"Mhmmm, like Riku, and Kairi, and Seifer's gang, then there's Yuffie and Tifa. Umm, Tidus, Wakka, Selphie, Rikku, Yuna..."

"Okay, okay! I _think_ I get the point!" Roxas muttered indignantly, crossing his arms over his chest. Zexion chucked lightly under his breath at the huffing blond.

"Not much of a people person?" He asked, a light tone playing with his voice.

"Isn't it obvious?" Roxas swung right back at him.

"Hn. Can't say I am, either." Zexion shrugged.

"..."

"This is slightly awkward." Sora injected, glancing at the ceiling. The two other boys nodded quickly, and Roxas make a conspicuous whistle, to which Sora giggled. "Hehe, yeah. Hey Roxy, I hope you don't mind, but I was thinking that maybe you should take Zexion to one of your band practices, eh? I told him earlier that you guys were really good!"

"Well of _course_ we're good." Roxas smirked, rolling his eyes.

"And humble, too." Zexion added with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

"You know it. Dunno if You'd actually want to go though, Zexion. It's just a lot of noise and a lot of half-assed ideas...Hell, last time we got together, Axel and Demyx had a contest to see who could stay upside down longer. Axel won, but only because Demyx fainted from blood flow to the head. _That_ was three hours of my life I'll never got back."

"I wouldn't mind. Quite frankly, I do need to get out more often. That, and I wouldn't mind hearing some of your music. What sort of music?" Zexion asked, looking intently a the blond. Of course, he already knew some of their choice music. But he couldn't let Roxas know that; he wasn't technically _supposed_ to be listening in to their class.

"Alternative rock, with a bit of heavier stuff thrown in every now and then. Y'know, Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Panic at the Disco, My Chemical Romance, Breaking Benjamin...stuff like that. Axel and I write some original stuff in our spare time, but we haven't gotten around to composing any music for the lyrics yet." Roxas replied, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

"Okay. I know most of those bands, so--" Zexion was cut off by the shrill sound of the warning bell signaling the end of lunch. "Hm, did we really spend 50 minutes talking?"

"Time goes by pretty fast, huh?" Roxas queried, casting Zexion a sidelong glance. "Anyway, I've gotta bet the hell to class. Phys Ed's on the other side of the school ,and I've still gotta change into my gym uniform. Come on, Sora!" The younger twin said as he grabbed the brunet's shoulder and spun him toward the other end of the hall.

"What?" Sora whined, having not been paying attention for the past while.

"Weren't you supposed to meet up with Riku outside the library before your math class?" Roxas pointed out as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Oh crap! I'm gonna be late!" The oblivious boy exclaimed as he took off down the hall at a breakneck pace. Not even turning back to glance at the blond and slate haired boys he was left in the proverbial dust.

"Well, I guess I'll see you whenever." Zexion shrugged as he turned to spin the combination on his locker. His blue-gray hair falling over his visible eye in the process, he blew it out of his face with a huff.

Roxas nodded slowly, "Hey, Zexion?"

"Hm?"

"You should come hang out with us at lunch tomorrow; we're gonna be in the caf since music classes are practically over now." The blond's eyes watched him carefully, waiting for his answer.

Zexion turned to face him, tucking his science binder under his arm, "I suppose I could. I have no reason to decline, as of now." He gave a small grin.

"Terrific, man. See ya tomorrow, then." Roxas grinned back, before heading off down the hall to the gyms.

-xo-xo-xo-xo-xo-xo-xo-xo-xo-

"Okay guys, since your exams are on Tuesday, we're doing more review!" Ms. Lucrecia beamed at her class, completely oblivious to the exasperated groans that flew throughout the room, "The topic today is going to be Electricity, alright? Now first off, Fuujin, I'd like you to draw a circuit diagram for us."

"Affirmative." A short, silver haired girl stood quickly and strode to the front of the room. Everyone knew her as Fuujin Kotetsu, part of the self proclaimed 'Disciplinary Committee' of Twilight Town Collegiate Institute.

"Great, now I want a 3-cell battery with 2 loads in series, along with an ammeter measuring the current leaving the second one, also, 3 loads attached in parallel along with a voltmeter to measure the potential difference across the first one. Draw a fuse after the loads are done as well as an open switch controlling the current entering the battery." Their brunette teacher smiled sweetly.

Zexion dozed off unabashedly on his desk. Ugh, electricity. Definitely not his piece of the pie, at any rate. It sucked though, that all of their chemistry review had gotten wrapped up last week; it was the one topic where he truly excelled. Electric-whatever-they-were-called just annoyed him. Sure, he could do it; it didn't take a genius to figure out the transfer of electrons, but either way.

"Excellent job, Fuujin! Now, ummm...Oh, Zexion!" The cheery professor called on the very boy, "Tell me, if I disregard the two loads in series and then found that the electric current going out of the battery was 13.5A, what could we assume the current going out of all of the loads to be?"

He glanced boredly at the neatly drawn diagram on the board. Well, that was easy; she'd even given him a nice number to work with.

_'So...'_ He thought quickly, _'With loads connected in parallel, the sum of the current going through all of them will be equal to the entire output from the battery. So, if I were to simply do it backwards, the total current divisible by three should be 4.5 Amperes of current.'_ Needless to say, it didn't take much for him to pull a simple equation like that off.

"I'm pretty sure it would be 4.5A." He sighed, leaning his head back down on his desk, his hair flopping to hide his face from the rest of the class.

"Indeed it would, good job, Zexion! Now, if you would all take a look at..."

The kindhearted teacher's words were soon drowned out as Zexion pulled his mp3 player out of his pocket. He really didn't need to pay that much attention to these tedious review classes; he kept all of his notes in good condition, and it wasn't even like he'd forgotten what they'd learned.

He smiled as _You're Gonna Go Far, Kid_ by The Offspring started playing through the earbuds. Hm, he wondered what it would sound like if Demyx's band were to play it... maybe he could suggest it to Roxas. Oh, that was right, the blond had invited him to sit with them at lunch the next day. Well, that was one way he could be closer to Demyx without seeming like a total creep.

_Now dance, fucker, dance. Man, he never had a chance_

_And no one even knew, it was really only you_

_And now you steal away, take him out today,_

_Nice work you did, you're gonna go far, kid_

Glancing quickly up at the board, he noted that they were studying diagrams for charging by contact, friction and induction. Well, that was simple enough that he didn't need to pay _any_ attention to it. Come on, how hard was it to figure out the movement of electrons to create an imbalance? He sighed, and turned his music up louder . Not too loud, of course; he didn't want Ms. Lucrecia to be able to hear it. That'd earn him detention, and for one: his parents would throw a fit, and two: that meant not seeing Demyx tomorrow.

_Slowly outta line and drifting closer in your sights_

_So play it out, I'm wide awake; it's a scene about me_

_There's something in you way, and now someone's gonna pay_

_And if you can't get what you want, well, it's all because of me._

There was still an hour left of class. So, with nothing better to do, Zexion closed his eyes. Dozing off during science class, probably wasn't the wisest thing he could've been doing, but he didn't have anything else to da, and he'd left his French homework in his locker. (not on purpose, mind you, he just didn't think he'd be needing it)

Besides, he could always finish whatever work he got later that night. That, and French was never his forte. His homework was to write a small story involving a Knight and a Dragon. (Titled; "Le Dragon et le Chevalier". Real original.)

Either way, he'd worry about everything later.

**-xo-xo-xo-xo-xo-xo-**

**Yeah.... I couldn't think of a good way to end this.**

**Poor Zexy has french homework. Sucker! Oh, and that reminds me, I was home sick yesterday too, and I had a halarious conversation with my mom;**

**me: "Ughh.....Est-que je peux avoir un boisson gasseux?"**

**mom: "Non, desole."**

**me: "Eugh? Pourquoi? Je suis malade et mon gorge de maux!"**

**mom: "Awww, c'est dommage" *sarcasm***

**me: "Tu es mechante!"**

**Yeah. Basically, I asked for a soda, mom said "No, sorry." and I said "Why? I'm sick and my throat hurts!", she said "Aww, that's so sad.", so I called her mean. Don't ask. I get very random when I get sick, and a lot of the time, I randomly start speaking french. (probably not grammatically correct french, either. I wasn't really paying that much attention to my phrases.**

**CaCoPhOnY Of ScReAmS(...is a total loooosssseeeerrrrrr!)**


	6. Tragicomedy

**Hey... I was sick again today, so I wrote this chapter for you. (somehow, writing this has become stress relief for when I feel like shit.) although, I think (or at least, I hope) that this chapter is infinitely better than the last one, which, I admit, was a bit of a filler.**

**In short, it sucked.**

**This one is better. Trust me. (and WOOT, it's almost 3000 words!)**

**Oh, and before I forget, I want to give a shout out to ****.****, who royally chewed me out over what I did to Zexion! Thank you SO MUCH! I've been waiting for someone to bitch at me, and she (or he) was the one to do it! And, even though they're not gonna be reading this anymore, I'm just writing this note for the sake of writing it.**

**I don't own Kingdom Hearts...and again, I'm sorry for any mistakes.**

**-xo-xo-xo-xo-xo-xo-xo**

The next day came sooner than Zexion realized. To be quite frank, he hadn't payed much attention to the remainder of his classed yesterday, so it was little wonder that the young scientist remained oblivious to the lapse in time. So when Mr. Setzer handed out a quiz sheet in Mathematics that morning, it was pretty much a boot to the head, one he realized that he never studied. (Not that he _didn't _already know the answers. As he'd mentioned before; non-linear equations were _easy._)

French class second period wasn't much better. Apparently their normal teacher, Mr. Kinneas, had fallen ill, and hence they were tormented with their obnoxiously flamboyant substitute, Mr. Seymour. Not only was the ridiculous man an inferior teacher compared to Irvine, he also happened to have the worst fashion sense Zexion had ever seen. the self-satisfied man wore his outrageously BLUE hair long, along with a sparkly cream coloured dress shirt and dark gray straight-legged pants. He was also the most narcissistic man Zexion had ever had the misfortune to meet, but he'd rather not get into any unpleasant details.

But, the laughable excuse for a class had alerted Zexion to an interesting fact; Roxas was in his French class. And no, he had never noticed this before. In fact, he couldn't even name half of the kids in any of his classes; he never bothered learning their names. That, and the fact that Roxas was situated in the back left corner of the classroom, and Zexion was up near the front.

So now, as Zexion trodded lightly down the perpetually crowded hallway toward his locker, his mind was still in sort of a semi-daze. He didn't know why; he'd just been really out of it since some time yesterday. But now, as he passed countless other students with unseeing eyes; registering the existence of people but not catching the details of their clothing or faces, he could barely keep his head clear enough to walk.

He hoped he wasn't getting sick; illness was the _last _thing he needed right now. Although, the notion was completely plausible, after all, Mr. Kinneas had already succumbed to the effects of flu season. Who's to say that Zexion wouldn't be next?

Sidestepping a cluster of Juniors without even bothering to focus his vision, he walked on auto-pilot to the spot he knew his locker was. Spinning the lock code without even looking at the tiny numbers, he opened the door and set his French text down at the bottom carefully. Then, he grabbed the brown paper bag that held his lunch. Yes, Zexion packed his own lunch for school, thank you very much. The cafeteria food was fattening and boring, although it tasted quite good. That, and Zexion simply couldn't be bothered to waste his money on over-expensive food every day.

With his goal accomplished, Zexion slammed the metal door shut with a loud _clang,_ and latched the lock. He blinked twice to clear the haze from his eyes. It worked, and he actually found himself able to pay heed to people around him for the first time that day. Heading back the way he came, he once again stepped around the group he bypassed previously. Zell Dincht, Yuffie Kisaragi, and another girl that Zexion was not acquainted with. She was obviously one of the more popular girls in the school, however, judging by the somewhat proud way she composed herself. He believed her name was Ashe, or something to that effect. All in all, they were a rather different group to be seen together.

Continuing down the hall, Zexion made it to the cafeteria, and stood patiently just outside the large double-doors; Roxas had found him just before he left the French room to let him know that Axel and Demyx had both gotten 10-minute detentions for goofing off in English, and for Zexion to please wait for them. Apparently Roxas was just going to wait outside the detention room until they were released.

Still, he found his absentminded state returning to him, and he found himself staring blankly ahead of himself. Dozens of students passed by him, and he busied himself by counting their blurry feet as they strode by him on their way into the cafeteria.

_'34, 35, 36, 36, 39...dammit.'_ Zexion huffed as he lost count. Groaning inwardly, he shook himself out of his mental disorientation and looked up, blinking the blurriness out of his eyes.

Only to be met with stunning copper II sulfate.

"Whoa!" He couldn't help but give a startled yelp as he backpeddled, ending up smacking his head against the white stone wall outside the caf. An amused cackle made it's way to his ears.

"Holy fuck, Dems. You trying to give him a heart attack?" Came a bemused and slightly accented voice from over to Zexion's right. Whipping his head around so fast he swore he heard it crack, Zexion found himself face-to-face with the redhead of the group. He also noticed for the first time, the small tattoos that adorned the older boy's cheeks. Two black identical inverted triangles, one on each cheek, just below the eyes.

"Oh, shut up, Axel!" Demyx pouted, drawing Zexion's attention away from the distracting redhead, "I'm sorry Zexion, I _really_ didn't mean to scare ya, scouts honor!" He nodded vigorously, holding his hand up like he was swearing an oath.

"It's okay," Zexion assured the dirty blond, "Just... unexpected." _'And certainly not unwanted...'_

"Pshhhh! He had his face like, four inches from yours, kid! I'm sure as hell surprised you didn't scream 'rape!' when you looked up." The crass voice of Axel scoffed.

Zexion's face reddened. Had Demyx really put his face that close? Surely the loud boy was exaggerating!

He opened his mouth to retort, but stopped short when he noticed something, "Where's Roxas?"

Axel spoke up, "Little Roxy's in the office at the moment. I guess Sora just went home sick with the Flu or something, so of course Roxas went to see him off. It's a twin thing, y'know?" The redhead's jade eyes glinted with playful mischief as he spoke about the vertically challenged blond, and Zexion took careful note of this. It suddenly brought into his mind the scene he had watched in the Music room, where Axel had literally smothered the boy in an excited glomp, before being shoved off.

A loud cough interrupted the light mood.

"So, exactly _**who**_are you calling 'Little', Axel?" Roxas asked in a devilishly innocent tone, smiling sweetly at the much taller teen, who visibly paled.

"U-uhmmm, n-no one, Roxas! What makes you think that?" Axel chucked nervously, shifting his weight from foot to foot. The blond, however, seemed unimpressed with his answer, and jabbed two fingers sharply into Axel's stomach.

"Ow!"

Ignoring the redhead's shout of protest, Roxas grabbed ahold of his ear while Axel was doubled over clutching his stomach. With an iron grip, the small boy effectively dragged the bent over and yowling Axel through the cafeteria doors, looking back over his shoulder to Zexion and Demyx.

"Well, are you two coming, or are you just gonna stand in the hall all day?" He asked, disappearing into the crowded room.

The remaining two stood there, Zexion momentarily shocked, while Demyx shook his head and sighed deeply. Apparently this was old card to him. The former coughed awkwardly, attracting Demyx's attention.

"...Do they do that often?" Zexion finally managed, blinking in confusion.

"Yeah, more or less," Demyx shrugged, plastering a cheery smile on his face, "Sometimes it's different though. Occasionally Roxas'll stomp on Axel's feet instead of jabbing him in the belly. Either way, he's gotta get Axel to keel over before he can reach his ear." He gave a small giggle.

"So are they..." Zexion suddenly felt really awkward for asking, "Together?" He turned his face away from Demyx to hide the light pink that was marring his pale face.

"Pshh, naw. Not officially, anyways. Although they're as obvious as an elephant on the roof, heck, even you got them figured out, after seeing them for all of 30 seconds." He paused, "I mean it; it'd be a lot easier if they'd just confess already. You should feel lucky, Zexion. I've had to deal with their sexual frustration since I can remember..."

Zexion nodded sadly, showing his sympathy. Wait..."You remembered my name." He said. It was more of a statement than a question.

Demyx paused, grinning and rubbing the nape of his neck sheepishly, "Uhh, yeah... I guess I did." He sounded more thoughtful than embarrassed, "It's unique, right? I don't think I've ever met another Zexion."

"Yours is unique as well." Zexion offered as he stepped past Demyx into the cafeteria, looking around to the groups who sat conversing around the circular tables. The noise of sneakers against the linoleum floor let him know that Demyx had indeed followed him. Craning his neck, he searched the room for any sign of Roxas and his redheaded companion, to no avail. He was just too short to see far enough. Luckily for Zexion, Demyx noticed the slate-haired boy's predicament.

"They're over there," He pointed past a table overcrowded with freshmen to their right, "Just past those guys, second table from the wall."

Zexion nodded and stayed silent as he followed the fauxhawked blond to the aforementioned table, occupying his sight with the back of Demyx's interestingly styled hair. He vaguely wondered how much gel the boy used to get his hair to stay like that. Would it feel soft to the touch--NO. He stopped himself before his thoughts could progress into something more distracting.

_'Don't you DARE start thinking those things now!'_ He scolded himself, _'You're just here to hang out and make some new friends, NOT to fantasize about things that will never happen.'_ He thought the last part rather dejectedly, causing a rather nasty grimace to appear on his features.

"Zexion...are you okay?" He was jostled out of his mental squabble at the sound of Roxas' concerned voice. He nodded.

"Yeah. Lost in thought, I guess." He mumbled, looking around the table they had arrived at. Roxas and Axel were sitting beside each other, the latter nursing his injured ear. Demyx had pulled up a chair a little further away from them, and was staring at Zexion concernedly. "Really, I'm fine." He assured, pulling up a chair for himself, and opening his lunch, pulling out an apple and taking a large bite.

"If you say so..." Roxas trailed off, returning his attention to the paper on the table before him. Probably homework.

Axel gave a small yawn and Zexion turned to look at him, "I don't believe we've been properly introduced. I'm Zexion Shinkirou. Not 'kid', as you earlier referred to me."

"Axel Shinra, at your service!" The redhead retorted sarcastically, inclining his head in Zexion's direction and giving a wicked smirk; akin to a Cheshire cat. "I'm seventeen years old, Leo, I enjoy sunsets, long walks on the beach, and frisky women(1)...or men, whichever one's available." He winked suggestively at Zexion, who rolled his eyes, catching the sight of Roxas going rigid where he sat doing his homework. Zexion smiled inwardly; it seems Demyx was undoubtedly correct about his hypothesis.

"Charmed." Zexion replied sarcastically, looking over to the still tense Roxas, "What subject?"

"...French" The blond muttered, obviously cross, "Kinneas wanted me to write an essay for extra credit, since I missed the second half of my midterm project..."

"Why?"

Roxas' eyebrow twitched, "Friggin' chicken pox." He ground out, scribbling furiously on the paper.

Axel let out a coarse bark of laughter, "It was the third time he's gotten it, to. Talk about shit luck, eh?"

"Look, guys, not to be rude or anything, but," Roxas began, placing his pencil on the table for the sake of massaging his temples, "Could we NOT talk about this; I seriously need to get this finished before Mr. Kinneas gets better, or I'm screwed."

"Awww, poor Roxy," Axel cooed, draping an arm over the smaller boy's shoulders, "I don't even know how you can be such a whiz at French. Get this through your head, blondie: J'**bored**."

"I don't even know how you can't even learn a simple sentence. Read my lips, Ax: Je m'ennuie." Roxas rolled his eyes, shrugging Axel's arm off his shoulder

"Ge man weee?" Axel mimicked, "Sorry Rox, no dice."

"Demyx giggled across the table, earning the attention of the other three students, "You two are such retards." He said between tiny bouts of laughter. Axel and Roxas scoffed and turned away, and Demyx turned to Zexion, mouthing, _"See? I told you they're totally hot for each other!_", shielding his mouth from sight with his hand. Zexion nodded, letting a small smile grace his lips.

_"Yes, you're correct."_ Zexion replied, one again finding his eyes locked with the entrancing colour of Demyx's irises. He blinked, closing his eyes tightly to block out any thoughts he knew would soon resurface.

Thankfully, his thoughts didn't have time to become too troublesome; the shrill sound of the bell interrupted the reverie, and Zexion stood, gently pushing in his chair. The others did the same, their chairs scratching against the floor as they were pushed in, followed by the cacophony of footsteps as the four boys exited the cafeteria. Axel, Roxas and Demyx turned left out of the door while Zexion headed to the right. Barely five feet down the hall, Zexion felt a hand rest on his shoulder. Turning around on his heel, he saw Demyx smiling at him.

"You should hang with us more often," The musician suggested, a friendly tone in his voice, "It's fun to have someone to hang around other than the two lovebirds. See you tomorrow then?" He asked, turning around to head back the way he came.

"Okay." Zexion agreed. Somehow, he felt slightly more hopeful about his and Demyx's friendship than before.

-xo-xo-xo-xo-xo-xo-

It was already becoming dark out by the time Zexion arrived home that night. Digging his keys out of his pocket, he unlocked the front door. Flipping the switch that rested on the wall just beside the door frame, he squinted slightly while his eyes adjusted to the sudden change in brightness. Kicking off his shoes and leaving them lying on a mat, he trudged into the house, weary after the long day at school.

Passing through the living room, he slid his bag off his shoulder and tossed it onto the couch. He made to go into the kitchen to grab some food, but was immediately distracted by the flashing red light on the message machine.

_'How odd,'_ He mused, strolling idly toward the blinking device, _'No one ever calls here. they all know Mother and Father are never home, and I certainly have no one to call. Except perhaps Lexaeus, but he knows to call my cell phone...'_ Reaching the machine, he pressed down on the 'play' button. Needless to say, the slate haired teenager was shocked when he heard his mother's voice play out of the machine, trembling as she obviously fought back tears.

_"Zexion, I-I know you're at school, but please...as soon as you get this, come to the hospital. I-it's you Father...he and your uncle were doing a general survey of the lab, when one of the apprentices accidentally disrupted a sample of francium...T-t-they were both s-severely injured. Braig just got out of surgery; he lost an eye and his memory due to a concussion. He does nothing but lie there...h-he thinks his n-name is Xigbar now. Your father is still on the operating table...Please, sweetie...t-they don't know if he's gonna make i--"_

Her shaking voice was cut off by the ending beep, and Zexion stood there. Too shocked to move. Never in his admittedly short life did he foresee this happening. Both Father and uncle Braig (or Xigbar now, he supposed) were almost killed...

Suddenly coming to his senses, Zexion turned and ran back to the door, haphazardly stuffing his feet back into his shoes before bolting out the door, pausing only to lock the door as he sprinted down the driveway.

Somehow, he didn't think he'd get the chance to make good on his promise to Demyx tomorrow.

**-xo-xo-xo-xo-xo-xo-xo-**

**(1) This is a quote from "Supernatural", which is the most amazing real-people show ever. Dean Winchester says it when he's in jail, and they try to videotape his 'confession' to the so-called murders he committed.**

**I hope this was more up to you guys' expectations.**

**CaCoPhOnY Of ScReAmS(is so sick right now, she's coughing up a fucking lung)**


End file.
